Skills for Life

how apprenticeships are helping shape our accountancy future

Apprenticeships have come on a long way. They are no longer aimed at a specific age group or a specific level but are role-specific development programmes with tailored on-the-job training. Apprenticeships are open for anyone over the age of 16 to start, and it’s important to highlight there is no upper age limit. You can have a previous qualification, like a degree, but must not be in education. They offer huge flexibility in terms of training providers, training structure and course selection. All of this maximises the benefits for the learners and employers.

As with other professional service providers, we as an accountancy firm are focussing more and more on the future of our firm. At the heart of our firm are our people, and this is why investing in the next generation is a priority of ours.

Apprenticeships and trainee roles are a great way of finding enthusiastic individuals who want to learn, grow, and develop into fully qualified accountants and tax advisors. The mixture of studying and on-the-job training provides a unique opportunity for trainees to put into practice what they are learning in real time.

Being part of a wider team with a network of more senior colleagues provides an essential pool of mentors for trainees. Having a mentor in the workplace who understands what needs to be done and how, is crucial to the learning process. We hear regularly from trainees how important this support system is and how much they rely on having people around for a quick question or chat about something they are not fully understanding.

Apprenticeships are an invaluable tool for upskilling our business in the areas that are reaching capacity and enable us to build future specialists from the ground up which is a bonus. Saying that, apprenticeships are not just for new hires; we are able to upskill current staff too. Investing in our current employees through a professional development programme also shows our commitment in ensuring they are valued and supported, enabling them grow and advance their career.

Apprenticeships allow us to reach people from diverse backgrounds, that may sit outside of our normal recruitment strategies. Bringing new people into the team brings new ideas and new perspectives and ultimately improves our business successes by creating a rounded workforce and culture. This is something we are very proud of.

We are proactively committed to helping our colleagues achieve their business and life goals in a passionate and authentic way, as these are the key traits that underpin everything we do.